Same menu, but Ottawa Beach Inn undergoes ownership change

Tuesday

Mar 4, 2014 at 12:09 PM

By Brian.VanOchten@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4279

Eric Chaitin had been searching for a special place along the lakeshore.The former executive chef at Watermark Properties in Grand Rapids said he found the perfect place to fall in love with cooking all over again after agreeing to purchase the Ottawa Beach Inn.He and his wife, Sue, who moved to Douglas eight months ago, have been operating the popular beachside restaurant adjacent to Holland State Park under a management agreement since Jan. 2. The sale is expected to be finalized once the state of Michigan approves the transfer of the establishment’s liquor license to the new owners in the next few months.“I love to cook,” said Eric Chaitin, who was twice named chef of the year in Grand Rapids. “I love talking to the guests. I love being in one restaurant instead of multiple restaurants. It’s good to roll up my sleeves and get back in the kitchen and work with the guys.”He began his career as a chef at a summer home for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and later worked at Lettuce Entertain You, Hotel Intercontinental and the Ritz Carlton in Chicago. In early 2000, he served as executive chef at Roses on Reeds Lakes in East Grand Rapids, where he and his staff were honored as West Michigan’s restaurant of the year.Trading in a corporate management gig for the cozier confines of Ottawa Beach Inn, 2155 Ottawa Beach Road, lets Chaitin spend more time with family and provide guests with a much more personal dining experience. It put him back in touch with his roots, he said.“All of it was a lifestyle change,” Chaitin explained. “I’ve been in this business for 25 years, so I figured I might as well do this in a place that I really want to be. You know what was very appealing to us about Ottawa Beach Inn? It’s small, it’s friendly and the Holland community is very friendly.“It’s not a broken model,” he said of the neighborhood establishment, which has been around for more than 35 years and offers views of Lake Macatawa. “It’s loved for a reason. We’ll preserve all of the great qualities.”Chaitin said he is planning no major changes to the menu or the facility.He has been on-site leading the kitchen staff for the past two months and plans to continue offering one fresh ocean fish menu option every day, homemade soups, scratch-made desserts and a few healthier options such as a selection of fresh salads.Fresh-caught lake perch and walleye will remain part of the menu, he confirmed.— Follow this reporter on Twitter @BizHolland.